Live Out Loud and be UNASHAMED

Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. Psalm 25:20

I am UNASHAMED to live my life out loud. 

I have not always lived out loud. In fact, there was a point in my adult life that I put a wall up and did not let others in except for my family. My husband and I had been hurt by people very close to us; we had been hurt by friends that we considered family. The slander and the decisions made by these friends hurt deeper than they will ever know. Their decisions negatively impacted our finances and our family. My wall went up because I did not trust to let others in my personal space. If I lived out loud, the enemy knew where to attack. 

It was when my mom died that God helped me break down that wall I was hiding behind. When the Body of Christ showed up at the hospital and my house to literally hold my hand and love on my family, God showed me that I needed His people. I needed to live out loud and be transparent in order to be loved on and prayed for. God showed me that He would be my guard instead of the wall of isolation. 

As a Christian, we often hide the struggles and the pain because we believe that it might show lack of faith or people might think that we are not living the "good" life. 

Or we might be afraid of the shame we will feel from our friends and society. 

I believe that being transparent and showing that Christians struggle is important for several reasons:

1. When we are transparent, we show others that just because we accept Jesus it doesn't mean that we are exempt from struggles and hardships. In fact, one might find that they are attack by spiritual warfare more often when they live out loud. The devil does not like it when God's army proclaims the good news of salvation. But the advantage of being a Christian in the middle of a storm is that you learn you are not alone and have faith that God is going to fight for you. God's Word tells us we can take refuge in Him. We should not be ashamed to live out loud because we have God to guard us and rescue us. We can be UNASHAMED of hardships because God will use those hard times to teach us lessons and witness to others. 
2. Living out loud puts us in the middle of the bulls-eye for the devil to attack. So why live out loud if we are wide open for attack? Living out loud helps others see how Christians take on spiritual warfare. It allows those looking for answers to their struggles to see how God can work in their situation just like He is working in ours. Even though you are putting yourself out there for attack, Psalm 25:20 tells us that we are covered by God and will not be put to shame. 
3. As a Christian, we need to be transparent to allow others to pray for us. If we hide our struggles and pain, we are not allowing others to pray for our specific needs. Many pray for "unspoken" prayers request. I personally want to tell exactly what I need prayer for. This allows the body of Christ to lift detailed prayers up to our Heavenly Father. When I know the specifics of a person's needs, I can call them by name and concentrate on that specific need. I also know how to specifically love on that person. Being transparent allows the Body of Christ to be God's hands and feet on earth. God uses the Body of Christ to be His hands and feet to help rescue those experiencing pain and struggling. 

I chose to concentrate on Psalm 25:20 when I think of UNASHAMED because we have to have faith that God is going to protect us from being put to shame when we live out loud. Being transparent makes us vulnerable in a society that is quick to judge and put us to shame. But oh well . . . as a Christian, we know that God has already won the battle of the enemy putting Christians to shame. 

Faith not Fear! 

Jesus was crucified for living out loud. He was the ultimate example of being put to shame but not to death! He rose on the third day and proved to the world that the battle has been won! 

The Cross had the final word! 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

The devil wants to make you think that it is not good to be transparent and real in front of others. The devil, the thief, wants to keep you from spreading the good news and being a witness of salvation. 

The thief wants to dim your light!

In our current society of social media and technology, we are living in a world of filters and fake reality. We are scared for people to see the reality of pain and struggles and imperfections.

What are we afraid of? Why do we want people to believe we live a life that we really do not? 

Being ashamed does not allow us to be all that God created us to be . . . UNASHAMED allows us to find the blessings and joy in the trials. 

Are you ashamed or unashamed? 

We all have a story that needs to be told or allowed to unfold in front of others. 

Are you ready to be transparent and live out loud? 

Fear of what is holding you back from living out loud? 

Would you like a FREE Unashamed t-shirt or hat? 

Comment here and share this blog post to be entered in a drawing for an UNASHAMED tshirt or hat. (I must have a minimum of 10 different people commenting and sharing to have a drawing)

I will draw live on April 1, 2018 in Pam's Color Zone group 

To see the different colors and styles please visit the Live Abundantly Collection website.